SDttliam  Eiotnur 


Wishmakers'  Town 


Wishmakers'  Town 

BY 

William  Young 

With  an    Introductory  Note  by 
Thomas  Bailev  Aldrich 


Lamson,  Wolffe  and  Company 
Boston,  New  York  and  London 


MDCCCXCVIII 


Copyright,  1885, 
By  Henry  Holt  &  Co. 


Copyright,  1890, 
By  William  Young. 


Copyright,  1898, 
By  Lamson,  Wolffe  and  Company. 

All  rights  reserved. 


Norwood  Presi 

J.  S.   Cashing  &  Co. — Berwick  fif  Smith 
Norwood  Mass.    U.  S.  A. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Introductory  Note       .......  vii 

The  Bells I 

The  Ringers         ........  4 

The  Strollers 6 

The  Children 9 

The  Maidens        ........  12 

The  Witch 13 

The  Maidens        ........  14 

The  Students 16 

The  Flower-Seller 20 

The  Triflers 23 

The  Confidante 25 

The  Maskers 27 

The  Hawker 29 

The  Conscience-Keeper      ......  34 

The  Prodigal 36 


vi  CONTENTS 

Page 

The  Workers 39 

The  Money-Changers          ......  40 

The  Chess-Players      .......  42 

The  Pawns  .........  44 

The  Gossips         ........  47 

The  Bridal  Pair 53 

The  Philosophers 55 

The  Gift-Bearers 59 

The  Mother 70 

The  Wanderer 71 

The  Watchers 75 

The  Victor 79 

The  Bells 83 


Introductory  Note 

A  limited  edition  of  this  little  volume 
of  verse,  which  seems  to  me  in  many 
respects  unique,  was  issued  in  1885, 
and  has  long  been  out  of  print.  The 
reissue  of  the  book  in  its  present  form 
is  in  response  to  the  desire  of  certain 
readers  who  have  not  forgotten  the 
charm  which  the  poem  exercised  upon 
them  years  ago,  and,  finding  the  charm 
still  potent,  would  have  others  share  it. 

The  scheme  of  the  poem,  for  it  is  a 
poem  and  not  simply  a  series  of  un- 


viii  INTRODUCTORY    NOTE 

related  lyrics,  is  ingenious  and  origi 
nal,  and  unfolds  itself  in  verse  at  once 
strong  and  delicate,  like  silver  wire. 
The  mood  of  the  poet,  and  the  method 
of  the  playwright  are  obvious  through 
out.  Wishmakers'  Town  —  a  little 
town  situated  in  the  no-man's-land 
of  The  Tempest  and  A  Midsummer 
Night's  Dream  —  is  shown  to  us  as  it 
awakens,  touched  by  the  dawn.  The 
clangor  of  bells  far  and  near  calls  the 
townfolk  to  their  various  avocations, 
the  toiler  to  his  toil,  the  idler  to  his 
idleness,  the  miser  to  his  gold.  In 
swift  and  picturesque  sequence  the 
dramatis  personae  of  the  comedy 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE  ix 

pass  before  us.  Merchants,  huxters, 
players,  lovers,  gossips,  soldiers,  vaga 
bonds,  and  princes  crowd  the  scene, 
and  have  in  turn  their  word  of  poig 
nant  speech.  We  mingle  with  the 
throng  in  the  streets  ;  we  hear  the  whir 
of  looms  and  the  din  of  foundries, 
the  blare  of  trumpets,  the  whisper  of 
lovers,  the  scandals  of  the  market 
place,  and,  in  brief,  are  let  into  all  the 
secrets  of  the  busy  microcosm.  A  con 
tracted  stage,  indeed,  yet  large  enough 
for  the  play  of  many  passions,  as  the 
narrowest  hearthstone  may  be.  With 
the  sounding  of  the  curfew,  the  town 
is  hushed  to  sleep  again,  and  the  cur- 


x  INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

tain  falls  on  this  mimic  drama  of  life, 
this  whimsical  Masque  of  Man. 

The  charm  of  it  all  is  not  easily 
to  be  denned.  Perhaps  if  one  could 
name  it,  the  spell  were  broken.  Above 
the  changing  rhythms  hangs  an  at 
mosphere  too  subtle  and  elusive  for 
measurement  —  an  atmosphere  that 
stipulates  an  imaginative  mood  on 
the  part  of  the  reader.  The  quality 
which  pleases  in  certain  of  the  lyr 
ical  episodes  is  less  intangible.  One 
readily  explains  one's  liking  for  so 
gracious  a  lyric  as  The  Flower- 
Seller,  to  select  an  example  at  ran 
dom.  Next  to  the  pleasure  that  lies 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE  xi 

in  the  writing  of  such  exquisite  verse 
is  the  pleasure  of  quoting  it.  I  copy 
the  stanzas  here,  partly  for  my  own 
gratification,  and  partly  to  win  the 
reader  to  Wishmakers'  Town,  not 
knowing  better  how  to  do  it. 


THE   FLOWER-SELLER 

Myrtle,  and  eglantine, 

For  the  old  love,  and  the  new! 

And  the  columbine, 

With  its  cap  and  bells,  for  folly ! 

And  the   daffodil,  for  the   hopes  of  youth ! 

and  the  rue, 
For  melancholy ! 
But  of  all  the  blossoms  that  blow, 


xii  INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

Fair   gallants   all,   I   charge   you  to   win,   if 

ye  may, 

This  gentle  guest, 
Who  dreams  apart,  in  her  wimple  of  purple 

and  gray, 
Like    the    blessed   Virgin,   with   meek    head 

bending  low 
Upon  her  breast. 

For  the  orange  flower 

Ye   may  buy  as   ye  will :   but  the  violet   of 

the  wood 

Is  the  love  of  maidenhood  ; 
And  he  that  hath  worn  it  but  once,  though 

but  for  an  hour, 
He  shall  never  again,  though  he  wander  by 

many  a  stream, 
No,  never  again  shall  he  meet  with  a  flower 

that  shall  seem 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE          xiii 

So   sweet  and   pure ;    and   forever,   in   after 

years, 
At  the  thought  of  its  bloom,  or  the  fragrance 

of  its  breath, 
The  past  shall  arise, 
And  his  eyes  shall  be  dim  with  tears, 
And  his  soul  shall  be  far  in  the  gardens  of 

Paradise, 
Though  he  stand  in  the  shambles  of  death. 

I  think  there  is  a  new  generation 
of  readers  for  poetry  in  this  kind, 
and  to  them  the  book  is  commended. 

The  author  of  Wishmakers'  Town 
is  the  child  of  his  period,  and  has  not 
escaped  the  maladie  du  siecle. 
The  doubt  and  pessimism  that  mark 


xiv  INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

the  end  of  the  century  find  a  voice 
in  the  bell-like  strophes  with  which 
the  volume  closes.  It  is  the  dramatist 
rather  than  the  poet  who  speaks  here. 
The  real  message  of  the  poet  to  man 
kind  is  ever  one  of  hope.  Amid  the 
problems  that  perplex  and  discour 
age,  it  is  for  him  to  sing 

"  Of  what  the  world  shall  be 
When  the  years  have  died  away." 

THOMAS  BAILEY  ALDRICH. 

June,  1898. 


Wishmakers'  Town 


i 

THE    BELLS 
Voices 


!  awake! 

All  living  things  that  be, 
In  nest  or  fold  !  — 
All  lives  that  solace  take, 
And  dreamful  ease,  in  tent,  or  wind-blown 

tree, 

Or  curtain'd  couch,  your  wanderings  forsake 
In  the  dim  realms  of  unreality! 
Awake,  for  shame 
Of  languor's  soft  delight! 


2  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

Lo,  once  again  earth's  heaving  disk  is  roll'd 

In  rosy  flame, 

And  through  the  camps  of  night, 
The  flying  Moon,  beneath  her  splinter'd  targe, 
Sore-stricken  by  the  feather'd  shafts  of  Dawn, 
And  harried  by  her  hounds,  like  Actaeon, 

Kneels, 

Stoops,  and  wheels 
Adown  the  western  marge  ! 


Awake  to  toil ! 
In  wood,  and  rock-ribb'd  hill, 

And  loamy  mead, 
What  golden  largess  lies  ! 
Awake  to  strife,  and  far-resounding  deed, 
In  love's  sweet  quest,  or  honor's  high  emprise, 
With   trumpets   blown,   and   clash   of  steed 
with  steed ! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  3 

Awake  to  care, 
And  triumph's  frequent  foil ! 
But  still  pursue  !    O  hand  with   strength   to 

take  — 
O  dauntless  heart,  to  suffer,  and  to  dare  — 

O  swerveless  will, 
To  bend,  or  else  to  break  — 
To  life,  to  love,  to  conquest,  and  to  spoil, 
Awake !  awake  ! 


WISHMAKERS'   TOWN 

II 

THE  RINGERS 


CEE  the  world  of  dome  and  spire  — 

How  it  gleams,  and  glows,  and  glistens, 
In  the  Dawn's  baptismal  fire ! 
Whilst  beneath  us  and  around, 
Quicken'd  by  the  rain  of  sound, 
'Wakes  the  under-world,  and  listens. 


—  And  the  lark's  far  carol  hear, 
In  the  pauses  of  our  clamor ; 
And  the  wheels,  that  far  and  near 
Now  their  droning  rounds  begin ; 
And  the  market's  busy  din; 
And  the  smiting  of  the  hammer. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 


—  Ah,  the  morn  that  once  I  knew, 
When,  with  sweeter  rapture  shaken, 
Sang  the  lark  in  yonder  blue !  — 
Sang,  and  soared,  the  while  I  waited 
For  a  sleeper,  still  belated, 
With  the  waking  world  to  waken ! 

4 

—  Retro,  retro,  Sathanas  ! 

Vain  unholy  thoughts  and  fancies 
Backward,  backward,  blend  and  pass ! 
Heaven  shield  and  keep  us  free 
From  the  wizard  Memory, 
And  his  cruel  necromancies ! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 


III 

THE   STROLLERS 
Prologue 


/"1OOD  people,  before  ye  turn 

To  your  follies,  and  plots,  and  treasons, 
We  pray  you  hear  and  behold 
The  whimsical  Masque  of  Man, 
Which  shall  here  be  acted  and  told 
By  your  servants  yclept  THE  SEASONS, 
With  its  moral,  which  ye  should  learn, 
For  sundry  and  divers  reasons, 
And  its  melodies  new  and  old, 
Discoursed  by  the  Pipes  of  Pan. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 


For  we  hold  it  timely  and  meet, 
Thus,  at  the  day's  beginning, 
To  ask,  in  a  mode  debarr'd 
To  the  pundits  and  the  sages, 
Whether  the  day's  reward 
Be  properly  worth  the  winning  — 
In  short,  if  ye  will,  to  treat 
Of  the  current  question  of  wages. 

3 

And  so  to  your  clemency 

Do  we  yield  us  and  address  us, 

With  due  humility; 

And  he  that  is  overwise  — 

As  some  of  you  needs  must  be  — 

In  damning  us  shall  bless  us, 

For  the  opportunity 

To  cavil  and  criticise. 


8  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

VERNALIS 

Pray  you,  now,  in  your  dance  and  rhyme, 
Follow  me  deftly,  in  tune  and  time. 

.ffiSTIVUS 

And  prithee,  piper,  lower  thy  key, 
Ever  so  little,  if  that  may  be. 

AUTUMNUS 

And  mimic  the  windy  woods  and  rills, 
As  well  thou  mayest,  with  fewer  trills. 

HIBERNUS 

And  time  thy  measures  and  suit  thy  tones, 
Ever  so  little,  to  weary  bones. 

OMNES 

Under  the  portals,  and  out,  and  in  ! 
Now  doth  our  roundel  again  begin. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

IV 
THE   CHILDREN 

TYTHO  be  these,  in  their  strange  array  — 
Green,  and  russet,  and  brown,  and  gray 
Trick'd  and  tatter'd,  and  thus  bedight, 
Making  merry  for  our  delight?  — 
Out  of  the  pictures  on  page  and  wall, 
Come  to  revel  or  carnival  ? 


Ho,  for  merry  is  he  that  leads, 
Puffing  his  cheeks  on  the  tuneful  reeds, 
And  blowing  and  blowing  with  such  a  sound, 
That  out  of  the  air,  and  out  of  the  ground, 
Birds  and  blossoms  are  whisk'd  and  whirl'd, 
In  flocks  and  bevies,  along  the  world  ! 


io  WISHMAKERS'   TOWN 

Ho,  and  merry  is  he  that  goes 
Tripping  the  measure  the  piper  blows !  — 
But  ever  and  ever  with  shorter  strides, 
And  panting,  and  holding  his  portly  sides, 
And  marching  and  mincing,  as  one  who  could 
Trip  it  forever,  if  but  he  would ! 

Nay,  but  merrier  he,  the  next, 
Who  listens  and  listens,  as  half  perplext, 
And    catches    the   measure,    by   times,    per 
chance, 
And   smiles,   and    simpers,   and   fain  would 

dance, 

And  halts,  and  hobbles,  and  limps,  and  sighs, 
And  presses  the  kerchief  against  his  eyes ! 

Trip,  and  amble,  and  shuffle  past! 
Ho,  but  the  merriest  yet,  and  last! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  n 

Trembling,  tottering,  how  he  feigns 
Ever  to  writhe  with  aches  and  pains ! 
But  well  we  know,  by  his  beard  of  snow, 
Him  of  the  holly  and  mistletoe ! 


12  WISHMAKERS'   TOWN 


V 
THE   MAIDENS 


"PEACH  us,  witch-wife,  as  we  pass, 

How  to  read  the  mystic  roses. 
Hold  for  us  the  magic  glass, 
Which  the  coming  face  discloses. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  13 

VI 

THE   WITCH 

LJIM  whose  eyes  rove  everywhere, 

Like  the  moths  that  wheel  and  hover  — 
Pass  him  by,  nor  greatly  care 
To  be  loved  by  such  a  lover. 

But  for  him  whose  knitted  brows 
Frown,  in  scorn  of  love  and  laughter  — 

She  who  wins  him  for  a  spouse, 
Shall  be  spoken  of  hereafter. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 


VII 

THE   MAIDENS 

T}IM,  the  warning!     Choose  we,  then, 

Each  for  each ;  and,  as  a  token, 
Let  the  numbered  leaves,  again, 
Answer,  when  the  choice  is  spoken. 

BLUE  EYES 

I  a  sailor's  bride  will  be. 

And,  at  night,  upon  my  pillow, 
The  wind's  voice  shall  seem  to  me 

As  the  roaring  of  the  billow. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  15 


BROWN   EYES 


Pleasant  be  thy  dreams,  I  pray. 

With  a  merchant  will  I  marry : 
Silks  and  pearls  from  far  Cathay, 

Homeward  all  his  ships  shall  carry. 


BLACK   EYES 


And  a  soldier  will  I  wed  — 

Bold  in  love,  and  stern  in  duty. 

When  the  tourney's  lists  are  spread, 
He  shall  crown  me  Queen  of  Beauty. 


GRAY   EYES 


Choose  ye  whom  ye  may  and  will ! 

Though  the  king  himself  implore  me, 
I  shall  live  unwedded  still  — 

And  your  husbands  shall  adore  me. 


16  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 


VIII 

THE   STUDENTS 

pOR  the  Graces  and  the  Muses, 

Mourners,  we,  whom  Fate  abuses ! 
Yet,  since  woman  now  replaces 
Both  the  Muses  and  the  Graces, 
Why  not  be  content  with  her? 
Gaudeamus  igitur! 

THE  BOASTER 

Book-worm,  hast  thou  naught  but  scorning 
For  the  blessings  of  the  morning  ? 
What  avails  it  to  be  pat  in 
Musty  Greek,  or  monkish  Latin  ? 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  17 

Here  are  volumes  yet  unread. 

Heard'st  thou  what  the  Gray  Eyes  said  ? 

THE   MOCKER 

Ay,  and  what  a  head  she  carries ! 
Woe,  indeed,  if  e'er  she  marries! 
Sure,  I  fancy,  such  a  creature, 
Trim  of  shape,  and  sleek  of  feature, 
Led  the  dances,  on  the  heights 
Of  the  old  Walpurgis  nights. 

THE  BOASTER 

Haply  so  ;  but  prithee  ponder 
On  her  meeker  sister,  yonder. 
Sweet  it  were,  with  ardor  burning, 
From  far  field  or  siege  returning, 
With  a  soldier's  tale  to  sue 
The  fear-haunted  Eyes  of  Blue. 


i8  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

THE   IDLER 

Sweet !  —  but  sweeter  yet,  a  rover, 
Heedless  of  both  fame  and  trover, 
Over  chartless  seas  to  follow 
Summer,  with  the  flying  swallow, 
Glad,  thro'  Fortune's  smile  or  frown, 
With  the  merry  Eyes  of  Brown ! 

THE   EXEMPLAR 

Only  usefulness  is  beauty ; 
Yet,  since  marriage  is  a  duty  — 
Yea,  and  since  the  eyes  are  witness 
To  its  fitness  or  unfitness, 
And  my  own  some  luster  lack, 
I  shall  mate  with  Orbs  of  Black. 

THE  BOASTER 

Where  is  he,  who  in  derision 
Of  the  Gray  first  gave  decision? 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  19 

THE   IDLER 

Heed  him  not:  'tis  but  his  fashion 
To  decry  the  tender  passion. 

THE   EXEMPLAR 

Mark  him,  yonder,  o'er  the  way, 
Bowing  to  the  Eyes  of  Gray! 


20  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 


IX 

THE   FLOWER-SELLER 

TUTYRTLE,  and  eglantine, 

For  the  old  love,  and  the  new  ! 
And  the  columbine, 
"With  its  cap  and  bells,  for  folly ! 
And   the   daffodil,  for  the  hopes   of  youth  ! 

and  the  rue, 
For  melancholy ! 

But  of  all  the  blossoms  that  blow, 
Fair  gallants  all,  I  charge  you  to  win,  if  ye 

may, 

This  gentle  guest, 
Who  dreams  apart,  in  her  wimple  of  purple 

and  gray, 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  21 

Like   the    blessed   Virgin,   with    meek   head 

bending  low 
Upon  her  breast. 


For  the  orange  flower 

Ye   may  buy  as   ye  will :   but  the  violet  of 

the  wood 

Is  the  love  of  maidenhood  ; 
And  he  that  hath  worn  it  but  once,  though 

but  for  an  hour, 
He  shall  never  again,  though  he  wander  by 

many  a  stream, 
No,  never  again  shall  he  meet  with  a  flower 

that  shall  seem 
So   sweet  and   pure ;    and   forever,   in   after 

years, 
At  the  thought  of  its  bloom,  or  the  fragrance 

of  its  breath, 


22  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

The  past  shall  arise, 

And  his  eyes  shall  be  dim  with  tears, 

And  his  soul  shall  be  far  in  the  gardens  of 

Paradise, 
Though  he  stand  in  the  shambles  of  death. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  23 


THE   TRIFLERS 
HE 

"DECAUSE  thou  wast  cold  and  proud, 

And  as  one  alone  in  the  crowd, 
And  because   of   thy  willful   and   wayward 

look, 

I  thought,  as  I  saw  thee  above  my  book, 
"  I  will  prove  if  her  heart  be  flesh  or  stone." 
And  in  seeking  thine,  I  have  found  my  own. 

SHE 

Because  thou  wast  proud  and  cold, 

And  because  of  the  story  told 

That  never  had  woman  a  smile  from  thee, 


24  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

I  thought,  as  I  glanced,  "  If  he  frown  on  me, 
Why,  be  it  so!  but  his  peace  shall  atone." 
And  in  troubling  thine,  I  have  lost  my  own. 


WISHMAKERS'   TOWN  25 

XI 

THE   CONFIDANTE 

CAY,  dost  thou  love  him?  —  O   love,  love, 

love  ! 

How  should  I  know  what  thy  wild  words 
mean? 

—  But  dost  thou  love  him?  —  As  God's  above, 
The  man  I  shall  wed  I  have  not  yet  seen ! 

—  But  why,  if  yes,  shouldst  thou  not  con 

fess  ? 
—  And  why,  if  no,  may  I  not  deny? 

—  Or,  whether  the  answer  be  no  or  yes, 
Wilt  thou  trust  me   no  more,  as  in  days 

gone  by  ? 


26  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

For  why,  but  now,  when  I  named  his  name  — 
The  name  that  thy  lips  have  learn'd  to 

shun  — 
Was  thy   cheek,   in  hue,   like    the    poppy's 

flame  ? 

And  why  dost  thou  dream  in  the  noon-day 
sun? 

And  sister,  my  sister  —  for  such  thou  art  — 
O,  where  dost  thou  walk,  in  the  evenings 
dim? 

And  why  hast  thou  cast  me  out  of  thy  heart? 
And,  prithee,  for  whom,  if  not  for  him? 

—  O,  sister,  my  sister,  —  for  wilt  thou  be, 
In  truth,  my  sister? — believe  me  well: 

That  I  hate  myself  and  love  but  thee, 
Is  the  only  secret  I  have  to  tell. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  27 


XII 

THE   MASKERS 


CO  soon!   so  soon!     Ah,  go  not  yet! 
—  Alas,  the  day  whereon  we  met! 


—  Accurst  be  he  who  doubts  between 
The  rose-leaf  and  the  laurel  green ! 

—  And  yet,  for  him  who  doubts,  'tis  plain 
The  fairest  rose  might  bloom  in  vain. 

—  Art  thou  so  wise  ?    Then  be  it  so  ! 
Yet  one  last  kiss!  —  Ah,  no!    ah,  no! 


28  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

—  No  kiss,  no  kiss,  to  comfort  me  ? 

—  Think  on  the  last  I  gave  to  thee ! 

—  Nor  yet  to  hold  thy  hand  in  mine  ? 

—  Farewell,  farewell,  without  a  sign! 


—  And  when  to  meet?  —  Pray  God,  no  more, 
On  the  dark  river's  hither  shore  ! 


—  Nor  yet  beyond?  —  Ah,  who  shall  tell? 
But,  for  this  world,  farewell,  farewell ! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  29 


XIII 

THE   HAWKER 

,   buy!  — Come,   buy!  — Come,  buy! 
Ho !  people  of  all  degrees, 
And  honors  and  dignities, 
And  stations  both  low  and  high ! 
So  that  your  purses  be  long, 
And  the  ring  of  your  coin  be  true, 
There  is  never  a  wrong  so  wrong, 
That  it  shall  not  be  reckon'd  a  right, 
At  your  behest,  and  for  you 
The  green  shall  be  green,  or  be  blue, 
And  the  blackest  of  black  shall  be  white. 


30  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

For  'tis  proper  to  woo,  and  to  wed, 
And  betimes  to  build  castles  in  Spain  — 
And  to  see  them  demolish'd  again  — 
And  'tis  proper  to  bury  the  dead : 
And  for  all  things  under  the  sun, 
There  hath  been,  and  shall  be  a  time, 
And  a  due  and  appropriate  season. 
"For  all  things,"  said  I? — Save  one! 
There  is  never  a  time  for  rhyme, 
And  but  seldom  a  season  for  reason  : 
And  ye,  within  sound  of  my  voice, 
To  whom  Fortune  —  the   jade!  —  hath  been 

cold, 

In  matters  of  love  or  ambition, 
Be  advis'd,  and  before  ye  berate  her, 
And  consign  yourselves  straight  to  perdition, 
Entreat  her  again  to  a  choice : 
But  rely  on  a  talisman  greater 
Than  reason,  or  rhyme  —  to  wit,  GOLD. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  31 

GOLD  !  GOLD  !     Though  the  poet  may  sing, 
And  the  moralist  preach  and  proclaim, 
'Tis  the  stuff  that  gives  worth  to  the  ring ; 
'Tis  the  stuff  that  gives  weight  to  the  name. 
It  shall  bind  —  it  shall  loose  —  it  shall  break  : 
It  shall  sunder  the  bridegroom  and  bride, 
And  shall  laugh  at  the  bigots  who  chide : 
It  shall  pick  —  it  shall  choose  —  it  shall  take  : 
It  shall  use,  and  refuse  ;  and  the  charms 
For  which  Merit  and  Virtue  have  striven, 
It  shall  give  to  the  lecher's  foul  arms, 
If  it  will !     And,  in  fine,  brief  to  tell, 
To  have  it,  and  hold  it,  is  Heaven  ! 
And  to  lack  it,  or  lose  it,  is  Hell ! 


But  what !  do  I  hear  you  protest, 

'Tis  the  want  of  the  means  to  apply  it. 

That  robs  my  discourse  of  its  zest? 


32  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

And  for  this  have  we  churches,  and  schools, 

And  a  code  that  was  specially  plann'd 

For  the  definite  purpose  !     O  fools  !  — 

For  if  poor,  ye  were  wise  to  deny  it  — 

Is  there  one  of  you  here,  as  ye  stand, 

Who  hath  not  a  friend,  or  a  neighbor, 

With  some  little  treasure  in  store  — 

Some  pitiful  profit  of  labor, 

Which  is  lonely  and  fruitless,  unmated, 

And  -which,  by  the  methods  devis'd, 

May  be  legally  aggregated, 

And  properly  capitalized  ? 

Yea,  saith  not  the  Good  Book  itself  — 

And  its  language  is  not  to  be  shaken, 

In  the  veriest  tittle  or  jot  — 

Saith  it  not,  on  the  subject  of  pelf, 

That  he  who  hath,  shall  have  more ; 

Whilst  from  him  who  hath  not, 

That  which  he  hath  shall  be  taken? 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  33 

Wherefore,  with  traffic  and  barter, 

I  bid  you  make  haste  to  fulfill 

The  Scriptural  injunction; 

And  to  plunder,  at  your  sweet  will, 

Whilst  ye  quote  from  the  recognized  charter, 

With  the  proper  degree  of  unction. 


34  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 


XIV 

THE   CONSCIENCE-KEEPER 

"pEPENT,  O  ye,  predestinate  to  woe? 

"Tis  mine  to  cry  —  albeit,  well  I  wis, 
Ye  may  not  heed.     And  ye,  elect  to  bliss, 
Must  e'en  be  saved,  whether  I  cry  or  no. 

And  yet,  repent !     Repent  ye,  and  atone, 
In  either  case.     Forswear   your  wisdom's 

pride, 
And   pray   for   faith  —  though   some   must 

be  denied  ! 
Nor  yet  by  prayer,  nor  yet  by  faith  alone, 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  35 

But  by  your  works,  attest  your  penitence. 
Give  to  the  poor!  —  of  whom  ye  see  in  me 
God's  almoner  —  and  in  your  charity, 

Deign  to  forget  not  Peter  and  his  pence. 


36  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

XV 
THE   PRODIGAL 

pACH  in  his  turn,  good  brother! 
For  I  hold  it  a  vicious  practice 
For  two  of  a  trade  to  compete, 
Where  the  pickings,  at  best,  are  but  small  — 
As  here  they  seem.  —  And  the  fact  is 
That  the  odds  are  but  prattle  and  pother, 
'Twixt  the  beads  that  are  sold  in  the  street, 
And  the  beads  that  are  told  in  the  stall. 

For  what  hath  the  vender  to  vend, 
Save  the  remnants  and  tokens  of  blisses, 
To  make  the  mouth  water  and  pine? 
And  what,  though  in  absolute  truth, 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  37 

The  pledge  be  confirm'd,  that  is  penn'd, 
And  the  next  world  be  fairer  than  this  is?  — 
Yet,  O,  for  the  wine  —  for  the  wine 
Of  the  glorious  vintage  of  youth ! 

O,  subtler  and  sweeter  than  honey !  — 
Than  the  honey  of  storied  Hymettus ! 
O,  rare  as  the  perfumes  of  Ind !  — 
What  to  us  were  the  raptures  to  be, 
Or  the  saddest  of  sins  we  have  sinn'd, 
Or  the  sins  that  at  present  beset  us, 
Or  the  want,  or  the  worship  of  money, 
Dulcet  wine,  could  we  tarry  with  thee  ? 

Woe  is  me !  —  But  when  spent  is  thy  savor, 
We  must  needs  be  both  sober  and  ruthful : 
And  so,  in  my  garments  of  sacking, 
Let  me  taste  of  the  waters  Divine !  — 


38  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

Since  their  cheapness  is  now  in  their  favor, 
And  even  though  spice  may  be  lacking, 
Were  not  veal,  in  its  season,  more  toothful 
Than  a  handful  of  husks  with  the  swine ! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  39 


XVI 

THE   WORKERS 

\Y7HAT  is  this,  that  we  build? 

—  It  is  Wealth's  strong  tower: 

And,  when   it  is  finished,  the   people   shall 
throng  to  see ; 

And  the  kings  of  the  earth  shall  cringe  be 
fore  it,  and  cower  — 

Saith  the  master. 

—  Ay?  —  But  where,  then,  shall  we  be? 


40  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

XVII 

THE   MONEY-CHANGERS 

YY7HAT  news  from  the  East? 

—  Good  news!     The  Venetian,  again, 
In   despite   of    the    truce,    hath    been   bow- 
string'd  by  the  Turk. 

—  And    the    Pope    and  the   Emperor,   now, 

shall  hardly  abstain 
From  the  savory  broil. 

—  There  is  like  to  be  murderous  work! 

—  And,  moreover,    'tis  said  that  in   certain 

broad  districts  of  France, 
Where  the  drouth  hath  prevail'd,  there  will 

scarce  be  a  mouthful  of  bread, 
To  the  good  square  league. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  41 

—  And,  by  those  most  observant,  'tis  said 
Our  own  crops  must  be  short ! 

—  Then,  at  once,  we  may  look  for  advance 
Both  in  rates  of  per  cent.,  and  in  prices  of 

fuel  and  food  ? 

—  Why,  so  I  conclude,  from  the  signs  that 

at  present  appear ; 

And   at  once  shall  distrain  on  all  forfeited 
bonds. 

—  God  is  good  ! 

And  to  Him  be  the  praise !     We  have  need 
of  a  prosperous  year. 


42  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 


XVIII 

THE   CHESS-PLAYERS 


T^EIGHBOR  of  mine,  no  malice  I  bear, 
But  pawns   and   pieces  must  earn  their 
fare ; 


And  time   hangs  heavy.      So,  red  or  white, 
Choose  thy  color,  and  pitch  thy  fight. 

—  Little  the  color  concerneth  me, 

But  say  now,  what  shall  the  wager  be? 

Lands,  or  vassals,  or  good  red  gold? 

—  Lands,  I  prithee ;   and  all  is  told. 


WISHMAKERS'   TOWN  43 

For  quickly  that  which  the  coffer  lacks 
May  be  recruited,  with  toll  and  tax ; 

And  he  that  payeth  the  tax  is  thrall ; 

And  the  lord  of  the  land  is  the  lord  of  all. 

—  Good!     Have  at  thee !     And,  overhead, 
Guard  me  Heaven,  and  help  the  Red ! 

—  And  Thou,  to  the  glory  of  whom  I  fight, 
Father  of  mercies,  befriend  the  White ! 


44  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 


XIX 

THE   PAWNS 

PRINCE,    and    Bishop,    and    Knight,    and 
Dame, 

Plot,  and  plunder,  and  disagree  ! 
O  but  the  game  is  a  royal  game ! 

O  but  your  tourneys  are  fair  to  see  ! 

None  too  hopeful  we  found  our  lives  ; 

Sore  was  labor  from  day  to  day ; 
Still  we  strove  for  our  babes  and  wives  — 

Now,  to  the  trumpet,  we  march  away ! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  45 

"  "Why  ?  "  —  For  some  one  hath  will'd  it  so  ! 

Nothing    we    know    of    the    why    or    the 

where  — 
To  swamp,  or  jungle,  or  wastes  of  snow  — 

Nothing  we  know,  and  little  we  care. 

Give  us  to  kill!  —  since  this  is  the  end 
Of  love  and  labor  in  Nature's  plan; 

Give  us  to  kill  and  ravish  and  rend, 
Yea,  since  this  is  the  end  of  man. 

States  shall  perish,  and  states  be  born: 
Leaders,  out  of  the  throng,  shall  press ; 

Some  to  honor,  and  some  to  scorn : 
We,  that  are  little,  shall  yet  be  less. 

Over  our  lines  shall  the  vultures  soar  ; 
Hard  on  our  flanks  shall  the  jackals  cry; 


46  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

And  the  dead  shall  be  as  the  sands  of  the 

shore  ; 
And  daily  the  living  shall  pray  to  die. 

Nay,  what  matter! — When  all  is  said, 
Prince  and  Bishop  will  plunder  still: 

Lord  and  Lady  must  dance  and  wed. 
Pity  us,  pray  for  us,  ye  that  will ! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  47 


XX 

THE   GOSSIPS 

CO,  the  usurer's  son  hath  return'd, 

and  will  take  to  himself  a  wife ! 
Thou  art  bid  to  the  feast,  good  neighbor? 

—  I  cry  thee  mercy!     Not  I! 
There  are  those  who  have  too  much  knowl 
edge 

of  a  certain  page,  in  the  life 
Of  the  bride,  in  the  days  of  her  girlhood. 
But  by-gones  should  be  gone  by. 

—  "  Of  the  bride,"  dost  thou  say  ?    Now  truly, 
of  her  lord-and-master-elect, 


48  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

I  have  heard  what  is  told  from  the  house 
top  ; 

but  better  the  prodigal  son, 
Than  the  daughter  who  hath  a  secret ! 

And  would'st  thou  have  me  suspect  —  ? 
—  Marry,  go  to!     Shall  I  tell  thee? 

But  I  charge  thee  repeat  it  to  none. 

For  marvelous  strange  is  the  story ; 
and  great  is  its  hero,  forsooth  ! 
And  well,  of  old,  didst  thou  know  him, 

in  his  student's  cap,  when  he  came, 
"With  his  fellows,  under  the  lindens  — 

and  we  thought  him  a  callow  youth ! 
And  there  it  was  that  she  met  him  — 

and  I  leave  thee  to  guess  his  name. 

And  there  it  was  that  she  met  him  — 
how  well  I  recall  the  morn ! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  49 

And  once  —  but  once  —  from  the  volume, 

that  seem'd  his  only  delight, 
He  look'd,  and  their  cold  eyes  counter'd, 

with  glances  of  equal  scorn :  — 
And  each  in  the  self-same  pathway 
wander'd,  again,  at  night. 

But  dost  thou  look  for  the  wherefore, 
that  made  of  the  twain  a  pair? 
I  can  think  of  it  but  as  the  spirit 

that  sets  the  lances  a-tilt : 
Yet  I  count  it  a  happy  fortune  — 

and  I  would  it  were  not  so  rare  — 
That  matches  the  born  deceiver 
with  her  that  is  born  a  jilt! 

Be  that  as  it  may,  he  was  master  — 

though  she  ever  denied  the  yoke  — 
But  daily  her  glance  was  troubled, 

and  her  step  grew  feeble,  and  slow; 


50  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

Till  what  with  the  strain,  or  the  chafing, 

the  something  that  bound  them  broke : 
And,  seeing  him  fain  to  desert  her, 

she  was  fain  to  say  to  him,  "  Go !  " 

And  she  came  to  me,  white  from  the  struggle, 

for  I  was  her  dearest  friend : 
But  she  stood  before  me  defiant, 

though   the   salt-drop   well'd   in   her 

eye; 
For  pride  was  ever  her  failing  — 

and  so  it  will  be  to  the  end  ; 
And  she  told  me  the  truth,  in  a  measure ; 
and  in  part  she  told  me  a  lie : 

And  prank'd  herself  in  her  finest, 

and  was  gay,  again,  with  the  gay  — 
Bold,  and  simple,  and  subtle, 
and  gay  as  never  before ; 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  51 

Till  the  stale,  lack-luster  suitor, 

from  the  great  house  over  the  way, 
Nursing  his  kindred  secret, 

in  due  time,  came  to  the  door. 

Came  —  and  while  yet  she  ponder'd, 

a  breath  was  blown  from  the  wars  — 
Rumors  of  siege  and  conquest ; 

and    the    streets    first    thrill'd    with 

the  name 
That  had  once  been  hers  —  in  her  fancy  — 

and  we  listen'd,  under  the  stars, 

To  the  sound  of  the  herald's  trumpet  — 

the  terrible  trumpet  of  Fame. 

Then  I,  that  was  witness,  noted 

how  the  pale  lips  quiver'd  and  met, 
And  the  proud  eye  dimm'd,  for  a  moment, 
with  a  moisture,  never  so  slight; 


52  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

And  I  said,  "It  is  wise,  sweet  sister; 

as  thou  art  forgotten,  forget!" 
And   even   for  this  —  wouldst   thou   think 

it?  — 
hath  the  vixen  held  me  in  spite. 

Yea,  even  for  this !     But,  God  save  us, 

I  would  that  the  words  were  unsaid  ! 
And  if,  to  thee,  she  was  stainless, 

why  let  her  be  stainless  still ! 
Nay,  yet  must  I  thank  my  Maker, 

who  hath  spared  me  the  wish  to  wed. 
And  I  pray  that  their  lives  may  be  happy  — 
but  that  must  be  as  it  will. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  53 


XXI 

,  \ 

THE   BRIDAL   PAIR 
HE 

^THOUGH  the  roving  bee,  as  lightly, 

Sip  the  sweets  of  thyme  and  clover, 
Though  the  moon  of  May,  as  whitely, 
Silver  all  the  greensward  over, 
Yet,  beneath  the  trysting  tree, 
That  hath  been  which  shall  not  be  ! 


54  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 


SHE 

Drip  the  viols,  ne'er  so  sweetly, 

With  the  honey-dew  of  pleasure  — 
Trip  the  dancers,  ne'er  so  featly, 

Through  the  old  remembered  measure, 
Yet,  the  lighted  lanthorn  round, 
What  is  lost  shall  not  be  found ! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  55 


XXII 

THE   PHILOSOPHERS 
THE  PESSIMIST 

f*  OD  of  our  fathers  !  what  monstrous  birth 
Out  of  the  loins  of  To-day  shall  spring, 
To  trample  the  fruitful  fields  of  earth, 
And  pluck  the  flower,  and  wear  the  ring? 

For  the  parent  barters  the  child  for  gold  ; 

And  the  bidder  bids  with  a  jest  and  a  leer  ; 
And  the  shameless  daughter  is  fain  to  be 
sold ; 

But  he  that  buys  her  shall  find  her  dear ! 


56  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

And  yet,  what  fitness — what  righteous  grace, 
In  such  a  union !  Since  time  began, 

The  sexes  have  journeyed  with  equal  pace, 
And  the  woman  is  still  but  the  mate  of 
the  man ! 


THE  OPTIMIST 

What  does  the  cynic  mutter  about  ? 

Mark  him  there,  in  his  sable  gown, 
Like  a  specter,  threading  the  rout, 

Ever  with  sidelong  stare  and  frown ! 

Once,  together,  we  woo'd  a  maid : 
"  Which  of  the  twain  did  her  heart  pre 
fer?" 

Deep,  the  riddle  !     Our  court  we  paid  : 
Pale  he  turn'd,  at  her  soft  demur: 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  57 

Willy-nilly,  I  took  the  kiss  ! 

Which  is  the  richer,  he  or  I  ? 
Which  of  us  will  she  mourn  or  miss, 

A  day  the  longer,  after  we  die  ? 


THE   NAMELESS 

Yonder  is  he,  who  taught  me,  first, 
The  steps  that  lead  to  the  pit  of  flame. 

Merry,  the  jest !     Be  his  soul  accurst ! 
Lives  he  in  honor,  and  I  in  shame  ? 

And  yonder,  dreaming  his  one  sad  dream, 
Is  he,  with  whom,  in  his  robes  of  woe, 

Spake     he     the    word,    over     death's    dark 

stream, 
Willingly,  gladly  would  I  go. 


58  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

Lovers  I  count  on  my  finger-tips  ; 

Lives,  like  dice,  for  my  smiles  are  thrown  ; 
Still,  forever,  upon  my  lips, 

Burns  the  kiss  I  never  have  known  ! 


WISHMAKERS'   TOWN  59 


XXIII 

THE   GIFT-BEARERS 


LJEAR  us,  Dives  !  —  Gifts  we  bring 
For  thy  first-born's  christening. 


Hear!  —  And  these,  our  treasures,  see! 

Nard,  and  all  sweet  spicery  ! 

And  the  subtle  frankincense, 

That  shall  woo  and  waft  thee  hence, 

Into  regions  long  forbid 

To  the  dream-affrighted  lid  !  — 

Breathe  !    nor  longer  fear  to  dream, 

Lapsing  with  the  lapsing  stream  — 


60  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

Lapsing  with  the  tide  that  ebbs, 
Till  the  shallops'  sheeny  webs 
Peer  again  above  the  blue, 
Steering,  veering,  and  the  hue 
Of  the  sapphire  sea  is  blent 
With  the  sapphire  firmament. 


Search,  and  sail,  and  tack,  and  veer! 

Nay,  the  drowsy  noon  is  near.  — 

What  be  these  that  float  and  lie 

Half  in  sea,  and  half  in  sky  ? 

Islands,  or  the  misty  shapes 

Of  the  Cloud-land's  phantom  capes? 

Surely,  surely,  fairer,  these, 

Than  the  far  Hesperides  ! 

Search,  and  find,  and  prove,  and  know  ! 

Welcome  weal  or  welcome  woe  ! 

Fear  not  thou  the  glimpses  brief 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  61 

Of  the  vainly  charted  reef  — 
Nor  the  sea-shell,  blown,  for  tryst, 
Through  the  languors  of  the  mist  — 
Nor  the  navies,  long  unmann'd, 
Where  they  whiten  on  the  strand  — 
Nor  the  veiling  tresses,  stirr'd 
With  the  song  Ulysses  heard. 


Grecian,  Grecian,  wast  thou  wise  ? 
Passer  with  averted  eyes  !  — 
Broken  are  the  myths ;   and  fled, 
From  Olympus,  overhead, 
God  and  goddess ;   yea,  and  these, 
Dwellers  by  the  shoaling  seas, 
Though  they  linger,  linger  still  — 
Charmers  of  the  weary  will, 
Whatsoever  winds  may  blow  — 
Mortal,  as  thyself,  we  know. 


62  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

Mortal  —  by  the  lips  that  pine!  — 
Neither  demon,  nor  divine  ! 
By  the  fervor  of  the  kiss  — 
Yea,  and  dear  because  of  this! 
By  the  transport  of  the  tear  — 
And,  because  of  this,  more  dear  ! 
By  all  tokens  sweet  and  fair  — 
By  the  bold  limbs,  flashing  bare  ! 
By  the  lock's  dishevel'd  curl ! 
By  the  parted  teeth  of  pearl, 
With  the  beaker  spill'd  between, 
Rarer  than  the  Hippocrene  ! 
—  Up  !    the  mazy  dance  is  wound, 
To  the  viol's  vibrant  sound, 
And  the  cithern's  smitten  string; 
Faster,  closer,  pant  and  cling: 
Till  the  wheel  within  the  wheel 
Of  the  brain  begins  to  reel  — 
Till  the  heaving  bosoms  show, 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  63 

As  they  heave,  and  as  they  glow, 
Like  the  leper's  spotted  o'er; 
And  the  wine  becomes  as  gore ; 
And  the  sick  gorge  quivers  up, 
At  the  dregs  within  the  cup  ! 


Break,  and  blend,  and  fade,  and  change  ! 

And,  again,  the  streaming  range 

Of  the  salt-waste,  dipping  far, 

To  a  night  without  a  star  ! 

And  ./Eolus,  harping  loud, 

On  the  sheet  and  on  the  shroud  ! 

And  Charybdis  on  the  lee  — 

By  the  levin,  dread  to  see  — 

Roaring  through  the  cloudy  rack  ! 

Hark!  —  And  Scylla  yelping  back! 

Till,  at  last,  upon  the  ken, 

Rimm'd  with  lifting  lights  again, 


64  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

Lo,  the  welcome,  welcome  shore  ! 
Chasten'd  spirit,  fare  no  more  : 
Scorn  of  self  is  noble  scorn. 
Wake!  —  It  is  thy  marriage-morn! 


O,  the  censer's  musky  breath  ! 
O,  the  bride  who  lingereth  ! 
O,  the  chanting  of  the  psalm ; 
And  the  organ's  holy  calm  ; 
And  the  brides-maids  pacing  slow ; 
And  the  great  bell,  to  and  fro, 
Yearning,  turning,  till  the  word 
From  the  laggard  lips  be  heard  ! 
—  Doth  she  answer  ?  —  Lift  the  veil  ! 
Marble  !  —  marble,  cold,  and  pale  !  — 
Stilly,  faultless,  chisel'd  fine  !  — 
Claim  thy  purchase  —  all  is  thine. 
Claim  her ;   use  her  to  thy  will. 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  65 

To  thy  kisses,  marble,  still  !  - 
Kisses  neither  met  nor  spurn'd, 
But  received,  and  unreturn'd  ! 
—  "  Stilly,  chilly,  Death-in-Life, 
Who  is  he  should  call  thee  wife?" 
—  Doubling,  troubling,  damned  doubt, 
Shall  not  searching  find  thee  out  ?  — 
In  the  speech,  or  in  the  glance?  — 
In  the  features'  stony  trance  ?  — 
Naught  of  pleasure,  naught  of  pain ; 
Only  passionless  disdain  ! 
Saving  when  the  Springtime  calls, 
From  the  wood  beyond  the  walls  — 
Then  the  answer  in  the  eye, 
That  forever  looks  thee  by  ! 
Then  the  tremor  of  the  hand, 
That  thou  canst  not  understand  ! 
Turn  thee,  turn  thee  !     Know,  at  last, 
Something  fair  is  overpast  — 


66  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

Something  !  —  reck  not  greatly  what 
Here  is  other  food  for  thought. 
Let  thy  latest  love  be  told 
In  the  chime  of  gold  on  gold  ! 


Hurry  !   worry  !   warp  and  weft, 
Spread  the  toils  of  thrift  and  theft ; 
Parchment  pit-falls,  and  the  wiles 
Of  the  ledger's  mouldy  files. 
Garner  malice,  garner  fear ; 
Yet  the  world  shall  hold  thee  dear. 
Garner  envy,  garner  scorn  — 
Unto  thee,  a  son  is  born  ! 
—  "  O,  thou  Blossom,  dear  above 
Every  pledge  of  fancied  love  !  — 
For,  though  loveless,  shalt  thou  be 
Surety  of  the  fruitful  tree. 
Yet,  I  wonder,  wilt  thou  list 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  67 

When  the  ready  curse  is  hiss'd 

At  the  breathing  of  my  name  ? 

Wilt  thou  praise,  or  wilt  thou  blame  ? 

Wilt  thou  redden,  cheek  and  brow  ? 

O,  but  love  me  !  —  only  thou  ! 

For  my  soul  is  sick  of  hate  — 

Comfortless,  and  desolate. 

Now  for  thee  I  heap  and  hoard." 

—  Bid  the  feasters  to  thy  board  ! 

Gather  !   gather  !  —  What  is  here  ? 

Shapes  of  doubt,  and  shapes  of  fear  — 

Specters,  laid  with  book  and  bell  — 

Madness,  from  its  padded  cell  — 

Lo,  and  here  a  throat  that  bleeds  ! 

And  the  widow's  scanty  weeds, 

Ever  closer  wrapp'd  and  press'd, 

For  a  shelter,  at  her  breast 

Round  the  something  stark  and  wan 

That  thou  may'st  not  look  upon  ! 


68  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

—  Make  obeisance,  sigh,  and  glance ; 
Peep,  and  mutter,  and  advance  ; 
Leer,  and  ogle,  and  retreat; 
Hither,  thither,  cross  and  meet  — 
Brightest  eyes  may  glimmer  dull, 
From  the  sockets  of  a  skull. 

—  Is  not  this  a  fit  carouse, 
For  the  heir  to  such  a  house  ?  — 
Heir  apparent,  after  thee, 
To  this  goodly  company  — 
To  the  sharp-tooth'd  rats  that  gnaw, 
Nightly,  at  the  coffer's  flaw; 
And  the  look  that  stabs  thee  —  thus, 
Through  the  eyes  of  Lazarus  ! 

—  Haste  !  —  The  turrets  topple  all, 
Reeling  to  their  windy  fall. 
Clatter  !    chatter  !    hands  about ! 
Curvet  in  the  ribald  rout ! 

"  Mercy  !  "  dost  thou  cry  !  —  But,  nay, 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  69 

Shall  not  JUSTICE  have  her  day  ? 

O,  before  the  sands  be  run, 

Be  the  knavery  undone  ! 

From  thee,  from  thee,  rend  and  cast 

Like  a  garment,  all  the  Past  — 

Garment,  foul  with  smear  and  smutch ; 

And  thy  bony  fingers'  clutch 

Loosen  !  —  and  thy  bleeding  nails, 

From  thy  bolts  and  from  thy  bales  !  — 

From  the  plunder  of  the  hearth, 

From  the  acres  of  the  earth, 

Hardly  won,  and  gloated  on, 

Through  the  dusk  and  through  the  dawn! 

O,  before  the  round  be  sped, 

To  the  quick,  and  to  the  dead, 

Yield,  and  render,  and  restore! 

—  Peace!— The  bier  is  at  the  door. 


70  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 


XXIV 

THE   MOTHER 

did  I  bring  thee,  Sweet, 
Into  a  world  of  sin?  — 
Into  a  world  of  wonder,  and  doubt, 
With  sorrow  and  snares  for  the  little  white 

feet  — 

Into  a  world,  whence  the  going  out 
Is  as  dark  as  the  coming  in ! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  71 


XXV 

THE   WANDERER 

JOINER,  joining  the  oaken  seam, 
All  so  lonely,  and  dusty  gray, 
Shaking  thy  head,  in  a  waking  dream, 
Where  be  thy  fellows  of  yesterday? 


—  Past  and  gone  from  the  trodden  sill; 

Each  on  his  errand :  and  all  for  naught ! 
For  men  are  coming  and  going  still ; 

But  still  must  the  joiner's  task  be 
wrought. 


72  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

—  Why,   well   thou    sayest,   thou    mournful 

wight ! 

But  dost  thou  remember  the  students  four, 
Who  sang,  of  old,  in  the  waning  light 
Of  the  golden  evenings,  before  thy  door? 

—  And  do  I  remember?    And  wast  thou  one 
Of  that  boastful   band?  —  For   mine   eyes 

are  dim. 

Nay !  for  with  tempest,  and  foreign  sun, 
Scarr'd    thou    seemest,    and    swarth    and 
grim ! 

And  fair  were  they ;  and  they  vowed  their 
vows ; 

And  the  maidens  listen'd,  in  hut  and  hall ; 
And  still  they  talked,  as  they  held  carouse, 

Of  what  should  happen  and  what  befall : 


WISHMAKERS1    TOWN  73 

And  one  must  rail  at  the  miser's  greed : 
And   he    of    them,   only,   hath    learn'd    to 

hoard ! 

And  one  should  win,  with  the  poet's  screed, 
What    he    hath    won    with    the    victor's 
sword  ! 


And  one  should  journey  beyond  the  foam; 

And  never  his  eyes  beheld  the  sea ! 
And    one    of    them,    only,    should    bide    at 
home ; 

And  half  I  fancy  that  thou  art  he ! 

—  O  vex  thee  not  with  the  plans  I  plann'd; 

But    tell     me !  —  what    of    thy    daughter 

fair? 
And  wears  she  a  ring  on  the  lily  hand, 

So  smooth  and  slender  beyond  compare  ? 


74  WISHMAKERS'   TOWN 

For  here  be  jewels  of  East  and  West, 
And  here  be  spoils  of  the  Southern  shell, 

Won,  with  danger,  at  love's  behest, 
And  who  is  the  giver,  her  heart  shall  tell. 


—  Now  what,  to  thee,  is  her  lily  hand  ? 
And  what,  to  thee,  was  her  love  so  dear? 

And    how    shall    she    care    for   thy   jewels 

grand, 
Now  that  her  coffin  I  fashion  here? 

—  Why,  truly,  truly,  if  these  things  be, 
There    is   never    a    solace   for   those   that 

roam, 

In  all  that  their  slumbering  eyes  may  see, 
More  false  than  the  dreams  of  the  coming- 
home. 


WISHMAKERS'   TOWN  75 


XXVI 

THE   WATCHERS 

"M"AY,  but  hark  !     Dost  thou  hear  ? 
And  again ! 

—  Like  the  sough  of  the  wind ! 

—  Or  the  thunder! 

—  Or  the  steadily  on-coming,  gathering  rush 

of  the  rain! 

—  Or  the  surges  that  grind 
On  the  sheer 

Scarped  cliffs  of  the  main, 

With  the  hoarse  caverns  bellowing  under ! 

—  Yet  at  peace  are  the  skies. 


76  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

-Yea,  and  fair 

Is  the  ripening  earth.     And  behold  ! 

Is  yon  but  the  creeper,  that  trails  from  the 
spur  of  the  crag?  — 

But  the  ripple  of  crimson,  that  heralds  the 
Autumn,  and  flies, 

With  the  raven  and  chough,  from  the  vale- 
guarding  crest  of  the  wold  ? 

—  Nay!  What,  but  the  flare 

Of  the  death-dripping,  wind-flutter 'd  flag, 
As  it  writhes,  and  advances,  with  tortuous 
fold  upon  fold ! 

—  To  the  gates!  to  the  gates! 
It  is  he! 

It  is  he,  who,  in  triumph,   from  fields   red 

with  slaughter  and  sown 
With  the  teeth  of  the  Dragon  —  fell  pledges 

of  harvests  to  be!  — 
Now  returns  to  his  own ! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  77 

And  the  profits  we  may  not  espy, 

But  we  welcome  him  back,  with  the  brood 

of  the  Furies  and  Hates, 
That  attend  on  his  steps:  and  we  know  not 

the  cause,  but  we  cry, 
As  to   Caesar   of  old,  Be  our  praise !  be  our 

homage  to  theef 
To  the  bells! 

Let  them  rock,  let  them  reel, 
Over  roof-tree  and  dome ! 
And  the  balconied  gables,  arow, 
Let  them  burgeon  and  blossom  with  stuffs 

of  the  Orient  loom  !  — 
With  the  hues  of  the  gardens   of   Schiraz ! 

—  And  traffic,  below, 
With  its  burdensome  wheel, 
Let  it  cease  from  the  pave,  and  make  room 
For  the  march  of  the  Brave !  — 
For  the  multiple  murmur  that  tells 


78  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

Of  the  march  of  the  Brave, 

As  it  winds,  as  it  sinks,  as  it  swells, 

And  resounds,  and  out-bursts  in  the  cannon's 

far-shattering  peal ! 
For    behold    where    he    comes !  —  And    the 

daughters  of  Beauty,  unclad, 
Let  them  glimmer  before  him,  with  timbrel 

and  tabor,  and  sing 
Of  the  fame  of  his  deeds!  —  Let  us  shout, 

let  us  leap,  and  be  glad ! 
Thou  hast  conquered  our  foes  !     Thou  hast  rid  us 

of  kings  !  —  BE  THOU  KING  i 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  79 


XXVII 


THE   VICTOR 


TDLARE  of  trumpet,  and  roll  of  drum  ! 
Hath  the  day  of  my  fancy  come  ? 


Dimly  the  house-tops  seem  to  sway, 
Over  the  mile-long  crowded  way 

To  the  palace  portals:  and  hark!  —  the  cry, 
"Hail  to  the  victor,  who  passes  by!" 


8o  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

Banner  and  pennon  flutter  red, 
Dyed  with  the  blood  that  my  hands   have 
shed ; 

And  red  and  white  are  the  roses  strewn 
Under  my  horse's  silver  shoon : 

But  O,  for  the  face  that  I  do  not  see, 
In  casement,  or  in  balcony ! 

Hides  she  there,  where  the  shadows  lurk, 
Under  the  awnings  of  needle-work  ?  — 

Silent,    and     pale,    with    her    white    hands 

press'd 
Over  the  tumult  of  her  breast?  — 

Stands  she  to  gaze?  —  And  her  eyes,  forlorn, 
Look  they  in  hatred,  or  pride,  or  scorn? 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  81 

Onward !  neither  to  left,  nor  right, 
Let  me  glance,  in  the  rabble's  sight! 

Neither  by  word  nor  sign,  reveal 

The  sad,  sick  brain,  in  the  casque  of  steel ! 

Empty  pageant,  and  passing  show ! 
Thus  doth  the  day  of  my  fancy  go! 

These,  the  guerdon  of  love's  duress  — 
Pain,  and  peril,  and  weariness ! 

Better,  mayhap,  if  the  foeman's  spear 
Under  my  cuirass  were  buried  here  ! 

Better,  if  now,  through  the  gala  town, 
Heralded  thus,  I  were  riding  down, 


82  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

As  the  sweet  Saints  grant  that  I  soon  may 

ride, 
Shrouded,  and  shriven,  and  satisfied  ! 

Yea,  that  I  never  had  heard  the  cry, 
"Hail  to  the  victor,  who  passes  by!" 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  83 


XXVIII 

THE   BELLS 
Voices 


pORBEAR!  forbear! 

The  midges'  dance  is  spun. 
O  fool  of  Time, 
That,  with  thy  puny  powers, 
Did'st  dream,  within  the  circuit  of  the  Sun, 
To  prove  the  promise  of  our  matin  chime  — 

Thy  task  forswear, 
For  lo,  the  darkness  lowers ! 


84  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

Thy  task  forswear, 
For  lo,  the  day  is  done ! 

O,  fool  of  Time- 
Whose  voice  is  one  with  ours ! 


The  day  is  done ! 
Now  quake  with  all  thy  fears. 
Thy  soul,  how  often,  to  the  passing  bell, 

The  pall,  the  plume, 
Hath  falter'd  forth  in  tears!  — 

In  sighs  profound, 
And  shudder'd  on  the  blast, 
Yea,  but  to  think  upon  thy  coming  knell ! 

Now  it  doth  sound!  — 
Are  all  thy  terrors  past? 

Now  it  doth  sound ! 
Now  yawns  the  vasty  gloom  ! 


WISHMAKERS'    TOWN  85 

And,  tearless  now,  the  brink  thou  dost  not 

shun? 

—  O  Riddle,  deeper  even  than  thy  doom, 
What  hope  is  thine,  that  thou  dost  smile 

at  last? 


In  vain  is  toil !  — 
To  sow,  and  not  to  reap ! 

The  thankless  earth 
Becomes  the  delver's  grave. 
In  vain  is  strife!  —  to  win,  and  not  to  keep! 
The  trickster  grasps  the  laurels  of  the  brave; 
And  Craft,  in  turn,  to  Folly  yields  its  spoil  — 

In  vain  is  love  !  — 
To  plight  and  then  to  part ! 
And  still  to  wear  the  galling  mask  of  mirth  ! 
To  know  the  ill,  all  other  ills  above, 
That  mocks  the  venom  of  the  Slayer's  dart, 


86  WISHMAKERS'    TOWN 

With  subtler  pain! 
O  soul,  fore-doomed  from  birth ! 

O  toil-worn  brain! 
O  eyes,  long  used  to  weep !  — 
Yet  now  ye  smile?  —  Then  we,  too,  are  in 
vain ! 

To  sleep!  —  to  sleep! 

FINIS 


A     000034395 


